An internal combustion engine includes an engine block defining a plurality of cylinder bores, a crankshaft rotatably supported in the engine block, and pistons connected to the crankshaft and configured to reciprocate within the cylinder bores. Typically, each piston includes a skirt pivotally connected to the crankshaft, and a crown connected to a distal end of the skirt. A combustion bowl is formed in an end face of the crown to receive injected fuel, and annular grooves are formed in an outer surface of the crown to receive associated rings. A cooling passage is annularly formed inside the crown, between the bowl and the cooling passage, to circulate oil that functions to cool the bowl.
During operation of the engine, fuel and air is combusted inside the cylinder bore (and inside the piston bowl), to generate heat and pressure that is turned into mechanical work. The heat and pressure, however, also act on a rim of the piston that divides the bowl from the end face. Over time, as engines are required to produce greater amounts of power more efficiently and/or with lower amounts of regulated pollutants, an amount and/or an effect of the heat and pressure acting on the piston rim has increased. In some applications, this heat and pressure is significant enough to prematurely degrade or even cause failure of some piston rim designs.
In order for engine components, such as pistons, to be designed that can withstand extreme temperatures over an extended period of time, it can be important to understand the environment in which the components are intended to operate. Historically, this has been done by way of instrumented engines within a lab setting. Specifically, pressures and temperatures measured in the lab setting were used as input to finite element analysis, to determine corresponding strains exerted on the rim of a piston bowl. The piston bowl design was then adjusted, until an acceptable amount of strain was realized.
Although the historical approach may be useful in some situations, it may lack applicability and benefit. In particular, the historical approach may not provide help in analyzing real-world conditions under which the piston operates. In addition, this approach may not take into account a time spent at a range of temperatures and pressures, or how that time affects a damage count of the piston. Further, the benefit of the historical approach may be associated only with piston design, and not with monitoring actual piston damage.
The control system of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.